CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – The centralized issuance of travel clearance documents for minors from the Department of Social Welfare Development (DSWD) has received a lot of flak after applicants complained of tedious and lengthy processing due to lack of personnel.
Applicants from as far as Bataan, Bulacan and Tarlac and as near as Mabalacat City decried the slow processing of travel documents after waiting several hours outside the DSWD Region 3 office at the Government Center in Barangay Maimpis here last Monday.
An applicant from Bataan was already at the said office with her minor son shortly after lunch but until 6 p.m., she still has no travel clearance papers for her son.
Several applicants from Bulacan and Tarlac were already at the said office with their children as early as 9 a.m. but only got their travel papers at 4:30 p.m.
An applicant from Mabalacat City waited several hours outside the office only to be told to come back because they failed to bring their passports among others.
The DSWD should augment their staff to at least 10 to accommodate everybody, said an exasperated applicant. What about those coming from Aurora or Nueva Ecija (about eight or six hours travel time respectively)? asked another.
The issuance of travel clearances should be decentralized so as not to burden would be travellers, they said.
Evelyn Manalo, DSWD 3 public information officer, reasoned that it was summer time and the peak season and many OFW parents in Asian countries want their children to visit them in their countries of work.
She said they have augmented their staff to three processors from two in order to accommodate the numerous applicants as she appealed for patience from the public.
However, only two employees were processing travel clearance documents last Monday making a lot of applicants complain of the delay.
A travel clearance is a document issued by the DSWD to a Filipino child (below 18 years of age) traveling abroad alone or with someone other than his/her parents.
An adult accompanying a minor or a minor traveling alone abroad without a clearance from the DSWD will be suspected of child trafficking or constitute child trafficking.
The law requires a minor, regardless of civil status who is traveling alone or with other persons, to secure a travel clearance.
Other than a duly accomplished application form, other requirements include a photocopy of the birth certificate of the minor; a written consent of both parents or the solo parent or the legal guardian permitting the minor to travel alone to a foreign country; as appropriate, a photocopy of the marriage certificate of the minor’s parents or a photocopy of the certificate of legal guardianship of the minor or in the case of solo parents, a photocopy of the solo parent identification card from the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office or a photocopy of a certification from the Local Social Welfare and Development Office of being a solo parent or Tallaq or Faskh certification from the Shariah court or any Muslim barangay or religious leader or in the case of an illegitimate minor, a certificate of no marriage (Cenomar) from the National Statistics Office or in the case of a deceased parent, a photocopy of the death certificate.
The centralized issuance of travel clearance documents for minors from the Department of Social Welfare Development (DSWD) has received a lot of flak after applicants complained of tedious and lengthy processing due to lack of personnel.
Applicants from as far as Bataan, Bulacan and Tarlac and as near as Mabalacat City decried the slow processing of travel documents after waiting several hours outside the DSWD Region 3 office at the Government Center in Barangay Maimpis here last Monday.
An applicant from Bataan was already at the said office with her minor son shortly after lunch but until 6 p.m., she still has no travel clearance papers for her son.
Several applicants from Bulacan and Tarlac were already at the said office with their children as early as 9 a.m. but only got their travel papers at 4:30 p.m.
An applicant from Mabalacat City waited several hours outside the office only to be told to come back because they failed to bring their passports among others.
The DSWD should augment their staff to at least 10 to accommodate everybody, said an exasperated applicant. What about those coming from Aurora or Nueva Ecija (about eight or six hours travel time respectively)? asked another.
The issuance of travel clearances should be decentralized so as not to burden would be travellers, they said.
Evelyn Manalo, DSWD 3 public information officer, reasoned that it was summer time and the peak season and many OFW parents in Asian countries want their children to visit them in their countries of work.
She said they have augmented their staff to three processors from two in order to accommodate the numerous applicants as she appealed for patience from the public.
However, only two employees were processing travel clearance documents last Monday making a lot of applicants complain of the delay.
A travel clearance is a document issued by the DSWD to a Filipino child (below 18 years of age) traveling abroad alone or with someone other than his/her parents.
An adult accompanying a minor or a minor traveling alone abroad without a clearance from the DSWD will be suspected of child trafficking or constitute child trafficking.
The law requires a minor, regardless of civil status who is traveling alone or with other persons, to secure a travel clearance.
Other than a duly accomplished application form, other requirements include a photocopy of the birth certificate of the minor; a written consent of both parents or the solo parent or the legal guardian permitting the minor to travel alone to a foreign country; as appropriate, a photocopy of the marriage certificate of the minor’s parents or a photocopy of the certificate of legal guardianship of the minor or in the case of solo parents, a photocopy of the solo parent identification card from the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office or a photocopy of a certification from the Local Social Welfare and Development Office of being a solo parent or Tallaq or Faskh certification from the Shariah court or any Muslim barangay or religious leader or in the case of an illegitimate minor, a certificate of no marriage (Cenomar) from the National Statistics Office or in the case of a deceased parent, a photocopy of the death certificate.
